Crutch
by jumpercable
Summary: Lilo attempts to convice Jumba that experiment 129, a personality modifying creature, isn't as bad as he thinks. Her childhood naivety shows through as 'Crutch' turns everyone around her apathetic, bored, and even evil.
1. Chapter 1 Introductions

… I do not own Lilo and Stitch, or any of the characters or likenesses in this story…

There was an eerie silence about the ship as Reuben sank into the pilot's chair, pulling an oversized fedora down over his little head. There were rings around his eyes, so dark that they were visible even under a layer of tan and yellow fur. He was partied out for the fifth time that week. The streamers that lined the walls and stack of sandwich crusts were all that remained of his lonely, but entertaining vacations while Gantu was away, trying yet again to impress hamsterviel to no avail by hopelessly catching nothing.

Given the sound of footsteps he'd heard enter the ship an hour ago, the grunts of disgust and sighs of disappointment, Gantu was home with nothing to show for his efforts. Reuben grinned, baring his buck teeth condescendingly as he turned to catch the other in his peripheral vision.

"Welcome home, loser."

"Hush, abomination." He growled.

"Want a sandwhich? I just picked up a ton of albacore."

Gantu rolled his eyes. The last thing on earth he wanted was a sandwich, smothered in albacore (whatever that was). He kicked an empty can across the floor to the base of Reuben's chair and glared at him with venom. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ring of the experiment computer, as if on cue to save 625 from a serious chew-out about the state in which he kept the ship when its owner was away. It glowed a dull green, the spherical shape on top becoming transparent to display a small picture of the experiment as it chimed its number and intended design.

"Experiment 129 has been activated. Primary use: Short term changes in personality."

Gasping, Gantu hovered over the computer as Reuben sank back into his chair lazily. The creature looked as cute and cuddly as the others, like a cross between a dog and some other animal with hooves. He knew better than to be fooled by its sweet looking exterior. That seemed to be Jumba's sense of humor: they look harmless, but are deceptively evil.

"It's a… personality changing experiment?"

Reuben shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Hamsterviel would be impressed if I managed to catch that one, for sure!"

"He'd be impressed if you caught a cold, fish face."

"Shut up, trog!"

Stretching, Reuben laughed out loud, "Go ahead. Go get it, Gantu. I could use another week of solace from your nagging! Not to mention, I'm running out of loser jokes, help me out here."

Gantu let out of hard sigh of defeat. The little beast was always waiting for him to walk right into a heckle of some sort. He slung the plasma cannon holster over his shoulder and lumbered toward the door without another word. For five days straight he'd been out after experiments, and lost five of them to the little earth girl and her seemingly invincible pet 'dog'. A feeling of discouragement settled into his stomach. Why bother? What was the point of always fighting if he could never win? One way or the other, he needed to catch something or lose his job. Leaning back inside the ship door, Gantu tried to fight the urge, but could not. He sucked in a breath.

"Goodbye, Reuben."

There was a sense of longing in his voice as though he wanted to stay and rest, like his lazy counterpart, whom he often missed (much to his dismay to admit). There was a silence, eerie and empty as ever. Suddenly, Reuben's chipper voice then rang down the steel hall.

"See ya' later, loser."

…

Lilo giggled childishly as she slammed a tiny toy soldier down on the kitchen table in front of Stitch's plastic green army, which rivaled her own.

"You're legion of brainwashed zombies can't defeat my werewolf empire!"

"Naga tacka!" He chuckled in response, knocking down the opposing force with a sweep of his clawed paw. He admired the fallen plastic warriors, as though he'd annihilated a real crowd of armed men.

"Hey, Stitch! That's not fair!"

He snorted and crossed his arms.

She began to set the toys upright again, hoping that for the ten-thousandth time she could try and teach Stitch the concept of playing pretend, but she paused as a deep rumbling voice rang from upstairs.

"Little girl!" Jumba called.

Lilo jumped down from the table, along with Stitch, and ventured to the bottom of the stairs in curiosity. She often went to bug Jumba when she needed help out of a bind, or after finding one of his many experiments, but he rarely called her (or anyone) from his make-shift lab in the guest bedroom. He valued his time alone. Leaning against the bottom step, she gazed up at the vacant hall.

"Yeah?"

"Experiment is loose again. Shouldn't you be going out and catching it?"

She jumped in surprise. It was always inconsistent and hard to predict when an experiment would get wet and come to be. Sometimes they popped out left and right, other times weeks went by with no signs of alien life. Lately, though, they had been appearing on the computer nearly one a day. Every day she caught a new creature, crushed Gantu's attempts to steal it, and found its one true place. She was beginning to feel rather accomplished.

Stitch growled excitedly, "Cousin!"

'That's right, thanks Jumba!"

Grabbing her backpack from the coat rack, she darted for the door with Stitch at her heels. A grin formed across her face as she flew down the stairs and off toward the beach in anticipation. She didn't ask what it could do, adding to the uncertain thrill of an adventure she and Stitch could experience together. He darted swiftly on all four feet, initiating a race game with his human friend.

Eventually they reached the sandy beach and she leaned against a palm tree, panting in exhaustion. Stitch, un-phased, began sniffing around for his new cousin. He ran up and down trees, over rocks, and as close to the lapping waves as he could dare. By the time Lilo finally caught up with him, he was pointing at a line of round tracks with his nose. She examined the trail closely.

"It must have come through here not too long ago, Stitch! I wonder if the little guy was headed for the city… Maybe it's drawn to people like you were."

"Igh!" Stitch grunted in agreement.

They followed the trail merrily, in no obvious hurry; it wouldn't go too far. The experiments always had a period of disorientation when first hydrated, before having a chance to apply themselves to their surroundings.

"I wonder what this one will do able to do. Remember how cool the last one was?"

"Igh!"

"Shush was so cute, and fun to play with. But he was bad too. We have to be more careful this time! Playing with the cousins can get us into trouble."

Stitch nodded with his ears down, remembering the ordeals with Myrtle and Nani. Eavesdropping was risky business, especially when the wrong thing was heard the wrong way (which occurred most of the time). Freezing in his tracks, Stitch looked toward the forested area above the sandy beach. His azure fur stood upright as he lowered his head into a reserved snarl. Stitch inched toward the vegetation, but with utmost reluctance.

"What is it? Is the cousin in there?"

A pair of yellow eyes drifted out from behind the trunk of a tree. Lilo dashed over to it with a broad smile, coming up on a strange creature with black fur and dull smoke gray stripes. It didn't run, or even budge, instead stared up at the little girl with emotionless eyes. The lack of interaction and chase left Lilo slightly unsure what to do. She wasn't used to the experiments just standing there waiting to be tossed into her backpack. Stitch seemed uneasy still, circling the cousin with raised fur and aggressive demeanor.

"Be nice, Stitch! It's a cousin!" Lilo scratched her head, "It's good at staring. What else does it do, though? I guess we'll have to ask Jumba when we get home. He always knows what they're for. He made them, after all."

Lilo scooped the little beast up in one arm and fit it snugly into her bag. The sharp red eyes stared up at her still, unblinking. It gave her chills as she stared back, so she closed the backpack flap quickly and rested it on her back. Stitch followed behind her, watching the bag untrustingly.

"I bet it does something cool like control the weather, or blow things up, or…"

She trailed off, lost in fantasy land as they made a circle back toward her house. There were six-hundred and twenty seven of them, it was impossible to guess what new wonders the small creature was capable of. Thinking for a moment, Lilo frowned and looked down at Stitch.

"That was really easy, wasn't it? I don't think we've ever caught an experiment so easily before. That's so boring! Gantu didn't even come after it this time. Oh well, I guess that means we'll find its true place faster than ever!"

A strange feeling washed over her as those words left her mouth. They suddenly seemed foreign, as though they were not her own. She paused for a moment, taking a breath. Stitch circled her in concern, but she shook it off and kept walking as though it was nothing. Her head felt heavy, different. The girl went quiet and didn't speak another word until she was standing on her porch, looking bored. As soon as the front door opened, Pleakley was there to greet them. He was wearing his usual orange dress, tied above his hips, and had a broom in hand. He'd been bouncing around the house all morning in his usual obsessive ritual to clean everything he could see.

"Where have you two been?"

Lilo stared at him before blinking her eyes in apparent boredom, "Hunting experiments. It was boring. I don't think I like running around outside; it's hot and dirty out there, not to mention swarming with tourists. I hate tourists."

Pleakley stared at her in surprise, along with a bewildered Stitch. Lilo dropped the backpack off of her shoulders onto the ground with a thud and dragged it across the living room. Stitch whimpered, following her up the stairs, watching the backpack (and his cousin) thump over each of the steps. As she predicted, Jumba was at his desk tinkering. He peered up as he heard them coming. Something wasn't right about Lilo, it was obvious immediately by her slumped shoulders and slack expression.

"Back already?" He asked, "129 is being easy catch this time?"

She shrugged and pulled the bag over to him, unlatching the top flap. Jumba nearly fell out of his chair when he saw the tiny red eyes. He jerked the little experiment from the bag, holding it out in front of him like a snake. Lilo gasped as the tendrils of boredom let lose and she suddenly felt like herself again. She stood straight, light headed.

"Yeah! It just stood still and let us catch it. What does 129 do Jumba?"

"Nevermind, little girl!" He hissed, "Needs to be dehydrated again. Now."

"No! I haven't even named him yet!"

Lilo clung to his thick, purple arm in protest. She was startled; it was unlike Jumba to volunteer that his creations be put back in their capsules, especially with her responsibility to find them a place in which they belong, as was given to her by the grand counsel woman.

Jumba swayed wearily, blinking his many eyes, "It has name already! I call it Crutch. This one has no true place. Must go back inside of capsule right now."

"Crutch? Why?"

He sighed in frustration, "This is evil personality changing experiment. It can cripple entire civilizations by turning cowards to brutes and brutes to cowards. It topples whole armies by turning them into whimpering chickens. Also turns excited little earth girls into bored ones. Can be very dangerous. Personality is crutch that causes big problem when kicked out from underneath people."

Lilo refused to heed the warning.

"This is good! It's one true place is to turn bad people good."

"Does not work that way!"

"How do you know?"

They were interrupted as Pleakley flew into the room to dusty Jumba's machines, and the various earth knick-knacks he himself had collected. He whipped around to make the beds, but was distracted by the beast in Jumba's hands. A look of irritation plagued his face as he put both hands on his hips.

"You guys brought home another little monster? Fantastic."

"It is no worry, little thing is going away now."

Lilo huffed angrily, "If it's so dangerous, than why hasn't it changed you yet?"

Jumba sat at his desk once more and placed the experiment in front of him. A narcissistic smile crossed his big mouth, "I made Crutch with own genetic material, so I am immune to his little spell. Was evil genius idea to stop Hamsterviel from turning on me with own experiment."

Pleakley hovered over him with curiosity of the strange little creature.

"This one is just… sitting still?" He said, "Not beeping or buzzing, or running around. Is it broken?"

Jumba shook his head, "It stays near person it wants to infect. Has no reason to run away, spell does not work at a distance."

Lilo had a thought. If she wanted to keep the cousin around, than she had to prove to Jumba it wasn't a threat. She intended to test herself and the lot of them in the room against Crutch's so called 'evil' personality changing spell. Folding her arms, she put on her best negotiating face and looked up at Jumba.

"I have an idea, Jumba. We'll let Crutch stay here in the house, where he can't get to anyone else. If he causes problems, then we'll dehydrate him back into the pod, ok? If not, then he can stay and we'll find him a place to belong here on the island."

Throwing his head back in a laugh, Jumba held out his hand, "Deal. Will take less than week before little girl is begging me to put monster back in pod."

Lilo shook it and smiled deviously.

Stitch seemed to be inching away from the both of them until he was nearly behind Pleakley, trying to hide himself from the staring red eyes. He feared them, in such a way that he was not used to, as though they would hurt him (despite the creature's constant state of being stationary). There was something tormenting about them, a physiological disturbance, like flies buzzing around in his head.

Swallowing uncomfortably, Pleakley interrupted them once again.

"You're really going to let that thing stay here? What if it messes up the house, and eats all the food, and breaks everything? Nani's going to throw a huge fit."

Jumba patted its black head, "Not to worry, my little one-eyed one. Crutch is most mellow of all experiments. He will sit still, or maybe follow us around house, but it does not expend unneeded energy. Is meant to be stealth weapon."

With that, Crutch leapt down from Jumba's desk, following Lilo as she left the room. The two ventured up the elevator to her tower bedroom, where she proceeded to gather similar accommodations to the ones she's provided for Stitch. She made a small bed for it, though this time from a laundry basket filled with a thick padding of extra blankets. Crutch stared at her, never removing its eyes from hers as it nestled into the warm bedding. She gave the creature a few good strokes and scratches behind the ear before curling up on her bed with the log book of cousins.

She began entering Crutch into a blank page between his other experiment cousins, though she resolved to take his picture only after she'd found him a place. Her and Stitch decided that was the best way to remember them, where they were the happiest, and though Crutch looked awfully content where he was currently situated it was hardly his one true place. His eyes followed her hand as she wrote, back and forth, until it eventually dozed off tiredly in its bed.

…

Nani sighed heavily as she locked the hinged window doors of the scuba rental shack. She was more than glad to finally be done with work. The job wasn't too taxing, aside from the tourists and lalos that swarmed around with know-it-all attitudes. The day was longer than anything else, especially considering the fact that on breaks from the rush, when things slowed down, she had nothing to do but watch as the customers enjoyed themselves outside.

Part of her wished that David would show up. He didn't always bug her on the job, but his infrequent visits were actually quite nice. Nani may have perfected the art of playing hard to get, but she still enjoyed his feeble attempts to woo her into a date. She kept him just close enough to retain his interest, but pushed him just far enough away that their union was unlikely to occur anytime soon. That, of course, didn't mean she wouldn't have liked to go on a non-date despite it all.

Shoving her wallet into the pocket of her jean shorts, Nani venture toward the parking lot and slid into her baby blue Volkswagen beetle. The engine turned over and purred like a kitten, despite it being circa 1970. She grinned; at least one thing her life was completely dependable, funny that it had to be a car. She backed out of the lot and headed tiredly for home, hoping that there wouldn't be too much commotion to deal with when she got there. It was part of her usual responsibilities to keep things running smoothly at home. Of course, the longer she left Pleakley and Jumba alone, the more likely it was that one of them would make a huge mess, create something menacing, or (in Pleakley's case) feed her sister dog food. This was assuming Lilo hadn't already snuck off somewhere she wasn't supposed to, without any regard to the darkness of sunset as it began to creep across the sky.

It was like the little girl felt invincible, and that nothing out there could hurt her. Nani admired her courage, and with Stitch alongside her sister it was nearly a reality, but even still she didn't want to take any chances. When Nani reached the house, everything seemed in tact. The jeep that Pleakley and Jumba frequently used was parked in the sheltered overhang beside the porch, and Lilo's hover craft wasn't far from it. Everyone was home. Nani ventured up the porch steps, feeling a bit closer to her mind being at ease. Just as she'd hoped, everything inside was quiet and tranquil. Jumba's large frame was resting lazily on the couch as he flipped through the channels, and Pleakley was draped over the top of him, nearly asleep. Closing the door, Nani opened her mouth to call for Lilo, but didn't get the chance.

Lilo was at her feet in seconds and thrust a dark, furry figure into her face.

"Look what Stitch and I found this time!"


	2. Chapter 2 Disruptions

Chapter 2 -disruptions-

"You're keeping it _here_?"

Lilo winced. Nani had been home ten seconds and was already yelling. Though, it was hard to blame her.

"Jumba thinks Crutch is all bad! If I don't show him Crutch can be nice, he'll dehydrate him again! I can't let him dehydrate Stitch's cousin!"

Nani rubbed her temples in frustration. She didn't like having the little beasts near her, let alone living inside the house for an extended period of time. Stitch was enough trouble by himself without another 'cousin' to help him cause mischief. Lilo seemed intent on her decision, and hugged the experiment's body against her chest, eyes narrowed in protest of Nani's anger.

Leaning back in her seat at the table, Nani took a long swig of black coffee and closed her eyes. She knew better than to fight her little sister on this. It may be her house, and she may have been Lilo's guardian, but the little girl took her responsibility very seriously. Often Nani wished that strange, female alien had never given it to her. Lilo was an effective monster catcher, but was it really right to drop that kind of pressure on a child, to catch and place them all?

Jumba hadn't taken sides for most of the argument, but kept near to listen, hoping Nani would override her. No such luck. As if reading his mind, Nani glared up at the massive purple alien and slammed down her mug.

"I don't want an _evil_ personality _changing_ experiment in my house!"

He looked away awkwardly. "Little girl would not budge."

"I don't care! Take it from her!"

Lilo looked hurt as she backed away with Crutch in her arms.

Jumba sighed, feeling guilty.

"I told her that if 129 causes problem, then he will go back into pod. She promised on handshake. Little girl will see soon that Crutch is not a savable experiment. He will make everyone in house go loopy but me… will get very annoying very quickly, don't worry. She will let it go soon."

Glaring, Lilo looked at him in disagreement. The only experiment she'd ever allowed to be dehydrated again was 627, simply because Jumba made him to be incurably evil. There was no good in him to begin with, so looking for it was hopeless. She still hadn't quite forgiven him for making a new experiment behind their backs, simply for the purpose of besting Stitch. It nearly resulted in a victory by Gantu, and that was unacceptable.

Pleakley wasn't happy with the idea either but after Jumba's threat of making a big fingered experiment, designed to 'poke giant eye', he stayed out from underfoot. It was then that Lilo realized Stitch was missing from the conversation. She looked all around herself, but he was nowhere to be found. Shrugging, she figured that he must have gone outside, or was with Pleakley and watching TV. It occurred to her that he was behaving strangely before, but she assumed he was just being grumpy and decided it was best to leave him alone.

"Fine," Nani said reluctantly. "It can stay for three days, and then you have to find it a new home, ok? We can't afford anymore lalo monsters here. You only get to have one 'dog'."

She made quotation motions with her fingers as she said the last bit.

Lilo flashed an excited smile, "Ok!"

"Good, it's settled then. Three days is all you get. Now go brush your teeth and get ready for bed; you've got hula tomorrow morning."

Lilo scampered off obediently to the bathroom, where she set 129 back on all four hooves. She stared back at it for a moment, but suddenly the experiment looked different than before. Its fur had turned from glistening ebony to dull black, and its stripes were like muddy streaks through its unflattering fur. Compared to the others it was just plain boring. Yawning, Lilo drug her feet lazily toward the sink to brush her teeth with the least possible enthusiasm. Crutch trotted toward her, rubbing against the backs of her legs affectionately. Lilo looked down, rolled her eyes, and returned them to the mirror.

Nothing was exciting, or even interesting. She didn't care much for hula, or the thought of getting up tomorrow to do it. Spitting into the sink, she washed it down and replaced her toothbrush before sighing and ambling toward the lift to her room. Crutch was at her heels, glaring up with its red eyes. They were sharp and pointed. Lilo, however, didn't seem to notice as she reached the room above the house and flopped onto her bed without even turning out the lights. Darkness was more boring and lame than the lit room was, but that didn't say much considering she had no interest in that either.

"Night, Crutch," She mumbled.

Crutch's hooves clattered across the floor as it removed its gaze from Lilo and moved toward the bed on which she lay. A pair of yellow eyes glowed from underneath, accompanied by two rows of sharp, white teeth. Stitch sank back against the wall as Crutch peer underneath at him, with its blaring eyes. He hissed and spat at the other beast, swiping with both arms of his left side. Crutch wasn't phased. It backed away, however, and left the other alone.

With the two easy targets within a decent range, Crutch slithered into Stitch's pineapple crate and curled into itself to sleep.

The sun was shinning brilliantly through the window when Lilo woke, as it often did in the summer time. Trees outside her window swayed against the breeze, and though she was inside, the girl could swear she smelled the ocean. Diving out of bed, Lilo remembered what Nani had said the night before.

'You've got hula in the morning.'

She was excited not only to dance, but also to see her 'unfriendly' friends. Lilo wondered what Myrtle and the others had been up to since she last saw them, though playing dolls and make-over took up most of their time. They were nearly as predictable as they were mean. Grabbing her hula skirt out of the closet, Lilo stuffed it into her backpack along with her camera and sandwich she'd made Thursday, but forgot to take to Pudge. Hopefully he wouldn't be resentful and cause something to effect of a horrible storm. He hadn't to date, so it seemed the little fish was tolerant of her.

Lilo got dressed quickly and ran downstairs to find Stitch. She took a deep breath from the hall, but surprisingly she didn't smell anything. Usually Pleakley was already up preparing food. He always made a lot of it too, because Jumba himself could easily eat twice as much as the rest of them. She slipped down the stairs in curiosity and peered into the kitchen. As expected, no one was there. The hall and downstairs bathrooms were vacant too. It wasn't until she entered the livingroom that Lilo found the missing alien; he was seated stiffly on the couch with his three boot-clad feet perched on the coffee table. Lilo stared in shock. Pleakley's antenna was flexed back like the ears if a pestered cat as he looked over at her, glaring. There was an awkward silence before she coughed and pointed to the kitchen with her thumb.

"No breakfast this morning?"

"You've got two perfectly good hands. Hell, you've got four more fingers than me too. Knock yourself out, kid."

Lilo put her hands on her hips, "Since when do you watch TV in the middle of the day, anyways?"

"I'm researching earth so intensely that your little human brain can only see it as 'watching TV'," He growled in sarcasm.

It was then than Lilo noticed he'd been moving his hand, running it down Crutch's back in long strokes. The experiment was in his lap, purring contently as it looked up at her with a mischievous expression in its eyes. Lilo gasped in realization. Crutch was causing Pleakley's strange behavior. She shook her head, refusing to give in to Jumba so easily.

"Ok, ok. Have you seen Stitch at least?"

Pleakley shrugged.

He seemed to have mastered being both useless and unpleasant in a mere couple of hours. Lilo left him and ventured outside, spotting her companion sitting at Jumba's feet. Jumba had the jeep propped up high in series of jacks, and was working on it from underneath while Stitch watched with interest. It was boredom and discomfort that drove him outside, and without Lilo to entertain him, Stitch seemed to enjoy observing things he otherwise would not. Lilo approached them with a sigh.

Stitch, on the other hand, grunted excitedly and bounded over to meet her as Jumba slid himself out from underneath the vehicle.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Finally found time for evil genius tune up."

"Oh. Well, you can stay and work then. Stitch will walk me to hula practice."

Jumba had been looking at her thoughtfully, "Is little girl sick of Crutch yet?"

Lilo laughed, "No!"

There was awkward uncertainty in her voice. If 129 did _that_ to Pleakley, she was scared to know how it would change Nani. Then again, she only had to make Crutch look good for two more days, then it could find a new home and everyone else would go back to normal. She could tolerate anything the little monster could dish out until then. Jumba picked up on her unease, but he said nothing. He'd only been awake a few hours and Pleakley was already getting on his nerves, as well as Lilo's unpredictable bouts of anti-self. For now, however, she seemed to be handling things well.

"Alright, fine. Have fun at earth class, be seeing you soon."

Lilo set off with Stitch at her side. She was glad that he was back at her hip and acting normal again. A persistent fear plagued Lilo, that he would lose the fight against himself again even though his molecules were properly charged. It was true that the experiments could be turned to good, especially when placed in a situation where constant use of their abilities was warranted (such as Zap in his tower). Stitch used his awesome powers frequently against Gantu, seemingly enough to keep his idle hands from trouble, but his real purpose was to be evil. Every day that he lived was another struggle against his destructive tendencies. Lilo tried to distract herself from the thoughts that swirled in her head as she looked down at the other.

"I brought my camera again today! Could you get more pictures for me? There aren't any snap shots of my friends on the wall by my bed, other than that one you took of me jumping Myrtle. I love that one."

Stitch cackled in agreement and reached into her backpack for the camera. He remembered trying to stop their feuds on many occasions, primarily to save Lilo's hide from trouble later, but secretly he enjoyed watching the two quarrel. He felt the same internal loathing for the angry, red haired girl that she did, and while Lilo called them her 'friends', he knew that he was her only true companion. They took the long way to Kumu's hula school, and passed once again over the sandy bank of the beach. Running off, Stitch sought out prime tourist candidates to photograph. He had only recently gotten the hang of picking out the especially ghastly ones, and those who looked out of place (diversity was what kept the wall so interesting). Meanwhile, Lilo slipped out of her dress, revealing a baiting suit she'd put on underneath. Her tiny feet pattered into the ocean, sandwich in hand as she dived into the depth in search if pudge.

When he didn't reveal himself, she settled on leaving her offering on the sandy floor close to the bank. By the time she rendezvoused with Stitch, he already had six Polaroid shots of overweight beach guests, sun burn Hawaiian newbies, and a host of obnoxious lap dogs. She laughed in enjoyment of them and already began plotting in her mind where the pictures would go as she threw her backpack over one shoulder. Half the fun of going to hula was the time she spent with Stitch getting there. Their time together was very precious to her, in ways that she could not articulate.

Lilo dried off as best she could in the hot sun, making it to class only a few minutes late this time. She studied herself, making sure everything was in order before she snuck onto the floor and engaged herself in a dance that was already in progress. Lilo had an uncanny ability to pick up in the middle of a session without being noticed (that is, until she started a fight or other like disturbance). Stitch resumed his usual spot on a wooden chair to the right of the stage.

Kumu observed him with a tired sigh. He'd told her on several occasions that pets weren't allowed in class, but for the most part her 'dog' was well behaved. Lilo explained the situation as her needing Stitch to take 'action shots'. The only thing more absurd than bringing her dog to take pictures was the fact that Stitch actually did it. It was too much to try and comprehend, so emitting an irritated sigh was all Kumu could usually bring himself to do. Lilo was the crowned champion of arguing, and he didn't stand a chance against that.

Stitch snapped a picture as Lilo spun gracefully with the group, blinding the rest of them with the flash. Predictably, the entire front row of young girls toppled over each other and landed in a heap on the ground. Lilo, who was used to it, was the only one left standing. Myrtle stood and brushed the dust off of herself with a look of loathing.

"What are _you_ doing here weird-lo?"

Lilo held her arm and looked down, "I'm here to dance."

"Late people shouldn't be allowed to dance!"

"Yeah!" The rest of the posse chimed in.

Myrtle turned to Kumu with fire in here eyes, "Her stinky dog ruined everything! You should send her home!"

Kumu rubbed his temples and mumbled a curse word. "Girls, calm down."

Myrtle's expression was still aflame. Her day was off to a bad start long before she showed up to Hula class, and now she not only wanted to take it out on Lilo, but she wanted the other girl to suffer. It seemed unfair to her that she would wake up early, listen to her parents fight like cats and dogs, and still show up early; meanwhile Lilo came bouncing in late every session with no consequences. Though, inside, she was mostly jealous of the other girl. Lilo was usually late from an adventure or something equally fun, and although Lilo had only her sister as a guardian, they didn't fight nearly a fraction as much as Myrtle's family did.

"No one wants to dance with you anyways."

"That's not true!" Lilo snapped.

"Yes it is! On top of that, I have to look at your ugly dog for all of class!"

By now the two were in each other's faces, viciously angry. Kumu realized that if he didn't split them up, he'd have to explain to Myrtle's mom why she had a black eye again. He stood firmly in front of the stage to take control of the situation.

"Everyone switch sides right now! I want Lilo all the way on the right side and Myrtle all the way on the left."

They obeyed as he opened the door and pointed out of it. Stitch flattened his ears against his head and growled, but after catching Lilo's disappointed expression in the corner of his eye, he hung the camera around his neck and left the building in a huff. He didn't want to cause any more trouble for her, though he fancied the thought of taking a nice bite out of the overweight Hawaiian's calf. Slamming the door, Kumu returned to the girls and instructed them to begin dancing again, though this time without his usual passiveness. He made sure their movements were pointed and deliberate, with little tolerance for distractions.

The group seemed to function better when Lilo and Myrtle were farther apart. Everyone else in the middle was used to simply following suit when Myrtle teased Lilo, so they weren't good instigators. The session that day was more productive than most, and by time it was over, the girls were exhausted. Lilo sat on the stage, panting for a bit. Kumu instructed them to have the list of moves they'd learned memorized by the weekend as he flopped into the chair and groaned. Sometimes the stress of dealing with them wasn't worth it.

Yuki, Elena, and Teresa headed out the door with Myrtle behind them, though she paused and made a B line of Lilo, where she sat on the stage. She stood in front of the other girl with her hands on her hips as Lilo reluctantly looked up.

"I meant what I said, you know."

Lilo hugged herself and glared. "I wish you were nicer, Myrtle. You make it really hard to be your friend sometimes."

Myrtle laughed audibly, "I'm not your friend!"

"Sometimes I think about inviting you to hunt exper- uhm, cousins with Stitch and I, but I know you'll just get mad and call me stupid, or a liar."

"You _are_ a liar! I mean really? There's no such thing as aliens!"

"Yes there are!" Lilo snapped defensively.

Myrtle shook her head and turned to walk away, but paused and looked back at Lilo for a second. "You should watch your back, weird-lo. I'm tired of you being so weird. Get with the program, or else me and my friends will make sure you never want to come back here again. Got it?"

Lilo gasped in shock of Myrtle's harsh words, most of which she'd just mimicked from her mother. She caught up with the others, though not before tossing a few choice insults at Stitch as well. Sliding off the stage, Lilo moved disheartened toward the door. Kumu, who had observed the incident, caught Lilo by the arm as she passed him.

"Sometimes people really _don't_ mean the things they say."

Lilo didn't respond at first, instead just looked away.

"I was thinking about talking to her mother and having her removed permanently from class…"

Lilo looked up at Kumu in complete shock, "Removed permanently?"

"Yes. She causes more problems than I want to deal with, and you don't deserve to be bullied like that. Her mother ought to teach her some manners."

Whipping around to face him, Lilo shook her head hard back and forth, "No!"

"No?"

"Don't kick _Myrtle_ out of hula class!"

Kumu blinked, confused. "Why not?"

"Because she's my friend!"

"Lilo… she's not-"

"Please!" Lilo begged, "Let her stay. I'll fix it, I promise. Don't punish Myrtle, ok Kumu? I'll talk to her tonight. Please?"

Kumu sighed, "Alright. But if she instigates another fight, I have to call her mother."

Lilo graciously agreed and darted out the door to meet Stitch. He purred at the sight of her, thrusting a picture into her face of Myrtle with a terrified expression. Normally Lilo would be more than excited to hear the story, but now she didn't have time.

"I found out where Crutch should go for its true place!"

"Igh!" Stitch responded, leaning in with interest to hear her plan.

"We should send it home with Myrtle!"

Stitch folded his ears back and shook his head. He didn't wish that fate on even his worst enemy, let alone one of his own cousin experiments. Lilo, however, was adamant on the idea. She was convinced it would be quite happy with her cruel friend, because she had a lot of personality that needed changing.

"You don't understand! Crutch will turn Myrtle and all of her friends nice, and then we won't have to deal with them being so rude to us!"

Stitch suddenly caught on and nodded his head in agreement. If Crutch could turn Myrtle into the opposite of herself, she would pamper it unwaveringly. On top of that, Gi-gi stood to benefit from having a cousin friend living with her (though he was unsure how it would affect her). He wasn't sure if Crutch's spell worked on other experiments, but the feeling of fear and discomfort he felt when it was around was unmistakable.

Excited, the two sprinted off toward home without waiting for Nani (as they often did). Lilo had already mentally rehearsed an excuse to tell her older sister. Hopefully, in time, she would realize they were mature enough to walk themselves. As if to illustrate the point, Nani's car was already there when they returned. She'd never left.

Lilo cocked her head to the side in confusion before opening the front door.

Pleakley was still on the couch looking agitated. He obviously hadn't moved since they left, and Lilo approached him with caution.

"Where's Nani?"

"In bed."

Lilo's eyes widened, "She has to go to work soon!"

'Yeah, and?"

Rubbing her temples, Lilo moved toward the stairs. She was starting to think that she'd rather get rid of 129 sooner than later. As promised, Nani was in bed sleeping when Lilo opened the door. She grabbed her sister's shoulder and shook it hard to rouse her. Rolling over, Nani groaned and looked at the little girl.

"Nani, you have to go to work!"

"So?"

"Don't you care if you get fired?"

Nani looked contemplative, "Not really."

Lilo was surprised by the innocent honesty in her voice. She grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her out of bed with all the force she could muster in her little body.

"I care! How will you take care of me and Stitch?"

"Dunno. I'll figure something out… or I won't."

"Get dressed!"

Nani groaned again and stepped into her closet to do so.

Lilo put her hands on her hips, "This is getting out of control, Stitch. Stitch?"

Realizing her companion was not to be found, Lilo grumbled and ran out the door to look for him. Just as she was about to enter the lift to her tower bedroom, there was a huge bang in the living room that nearly made Lilo jump out of her skin. She ran down the stairs to find Stitch standing on top of the smashed TV with all four arms out. Pleakley was up on the back of the couch, looking startled.

"Get that freaky monster out of here, he broke the TV!"

Lilo stared. Stitch didn't wait for a response before he curled up in a ball and rolled into the Kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

Lilo stomped her foot in anger as Stitch scaled the cupboards and started throwing things out onto the floor with a growl.

"Naka questa!" Stitch hissed, hitting her smack in the forehead with a box of macaroni and cheese.

Footsteps came down the stairs as Lilo scrambled to pick everything up before Nani could see the mess. Nani wasn't especially tolerant to experiments in the house, and sometimes even threatened to get rid of Stitch if he couldn't behave. It was getting harder and harder to convince her that the other's crazy behavior wasn't really his fault. Stitch flipped down onto the floor and opened the refrigerator on his quest to wreck the kitchen.

When Nani finally did show her face, Lilo looked at her in fear.

"I can explain this!"

Nani shrugged.

"You're not mad?"

"Naw. Someone will clean it up, eventually."

Lilo felt like she was dreaming.

Pleakley came in and grabbed Nani by the arm, looking genuinely angry. "Go out and get another TV. That little blue freak broke the one in there. I was _right_ in the middle of triple X!"

Their conversation was disrupted as he looked around the kitchen in surprise.

"Wow, you're dressed like a guy," Nani thought out loud.

"Step off," He snapped.

"Is that a… did you get a lip ring?"

"Yeah, I thought it made me look like a badass."

Nani rolled her eyes, "You've got a master's degree in science. You're too nerdy to be a 'badass'."

Lilo waved her arms frantically, "Guys!"

They both looked down at her, then away again. Sighing in frustration, Lilo tried to drag Stitch off the table.

"Clean this up," Nani instructed in the general direction of everyone.

Pleakley shook his head, "The filth gives character."

"You're right; it does."

There was knocking at the door and Nani left them to answer it, seeing David standing on the porch with a bouquet of flowers. She smiled and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for him to speak.

"Hey Nani, what'cha doing today?"

"Uhm, I think I'm going to work."

"You think?"

"Yeah, Lilo told me to."

David rubbed his head. "Ok… well, do you want to go out with me tonight?"

"Sure, I guess."

He looked irritated by now, "You guess?"

"I mean we can, or not, whatever."

She brushed past him toward her car with a cheery whistle. He was used to her playing hard to get but that seemed downright rude, as though she were completely apathetic about the idea. He flopped down on the top porch step in frustration before hearing the ruckus inside. Looking toward the door, he raised and eyebrow with interest.

Lilo finally managed to pin Stitch to the floor long enough to stop his domestic war path. Twisting two of his four arms behind his back, she forced him up to Jumba's room and kicked open the door. The giant, startled alien looked at her with wide eyes.

"What's happening, Jumba?"

"What do you mean?"

Stitch is going crazy, and Nani doesn't care about anything, and Pleakley's being a big jerk!"

Leaning back, Jumba sighed. "Tried to warn little girl. Experiment 129 does not 'turn bad people good.' Evil experiment is designed to turn everyone within range to their anti-self which, if you liked them how they were, is very bad."

"Well, I found Crutch a home. Now we can get rid of it and make everyone normal again."

"A home for Crutch, where?" He asked, reluctant to believe her.

"I'm going to convince Myrtle to take it! Her anti-self will be really nice, right?"

Jumba rubbed his big chin in thought, "Yes. Makes sense that 129 would turn evil little girl into sweet little angel, if that is the trait it chooses to change. Might be good home for Crutch, actually."

Stitch swiped at Lilo, startling her into letting him go as he ran back downstairs. Jumba laughed, though he did look a little apologetic. He was, in essence, the cause of all this and felt a bit responsible for her suffering.

"You are going now then?"

Lilo shook her head, "When Nani gets back I'll take Cruth to Myrtle and see if she'll take him. For now I think I should go stop Stitch or else Mr. Bubbles will have to make them build us a new house."

"I'd better help," He admitted. "Is big job for little girl."

Lilo started to follow as Jumba left the room, but she only made it to the top step of the stairs before she sat down and rested her chin on her knees.

"You go ahead, if you want. I don't feel like going down there anymore. Pleakley and Stitch are really boring, and so are their new personalities. I'm going to sit here and wait."

Rolling his eyes, Jumba continued down the stairs just in time to stop Stitch from climbing out the window to digging up the water main.

…

Gantu flopped down into the sand with a sigh and rested his back up against a palm tree. He was growing increasingly frustrated, as well as disappointed. All he wanted was to catch an experiment, if for nothing else than the few fleeting seconds of joy it would bring him to see a grin on Hamsterviel's face. Then again, that was a lofty desire because even if he did catch something, odds were it wouldn't please his boss. Nothing pleased that insufferable little rodent.

Of course, he and 625 could have fun with the thing despite. He remembered once or twice having an enjoyable time playing with caught experiments. 625 always had something to say, or an interesting idea for how to use them. It seemed like he never ran dry of wit. Gantu flashed a small grin at the thought, but it didn't last. He let out a heavy sigh and looked down at his massive grey hands.

He would do anything just to have that little trog, to win for once and prove that he was not incompetent or a loser. Gantu closed his eyes and imagined what that would be like. He imagined being a captain again and working for the galactic counsel in space. There was nothing he missed more than that prestige and authority that had been stripped from him just because he couldn't catch 626. In his mind, nobody could but Lilo. Anger welled in him as he thought of the little girl who so often thwarted his plans, and who had stolen his chance and regaining honor by telling the grand counsel-woman that he'd accidently kidnapped Myrtle.

Rage boiled in his blood. He wanted to stop her into the dust without remorse. Gantu knew better than that, however. If that was a possibility he would have done it long ago. Something brushed against his palm and the alien's eyes shot open as he sat up straight, startled. Low and behold, a tiny black creature was sitting in the center of his hand, staring up at him with a pair of dull, vacant eyes. Their yellow shine was transfixing and he didn't want to move at first, afraid he's fallen asleep and was dreaming. The beast didn't move either.

Standing Gantu closed his hand around the creature he recognized as Jumba's abomination, his heart thumping in his chest. It was really there, and even through his flesh he could still feel the experiment's eyes. Holding the closed fist up to his chest Gantu ran like he'd never run before. Lilo and Stitch were not around, nor Jumba, or Pleakley, or any of the 'cousins.' He had an experiment and was going to get away with it scotch free. The massive alien bullied through every terrain that stood between him and his ship, grinning ear to ear all the way.


End file.
